This site is operated by a business or businesses owned by Informa PLC and all copyright resides with them. Informa PLC's registered office is 5 Howick Place, London SW1P 1WG. Registered in England and Wales. Number 8860726.

Construction Begins on One of the Largest Solar Power Plants in Louisiana

DEPCOM Power is building a 50-MW solar plant in the West Baton Rouge Parish of Louisiana.

Aug 20, 2019

Construction has begun on one of the largest solar facilities currently planned for Louisiana.

Capital Region Solar, a 50-MW solar plant being built by DEPCOM Power in West Baton Rouge Parish, will add another source of renewable energy for Entergy Louisiana customers. Entergy Louisiana is purchasing the output from the solar farm under a 20-year agreement.

About197,000 solar panels will be used to complete the facility on about 560 acres of land near Port Allen. Once complete in the second quarter of 2020, it will offset the equivalent of nearly 19,000 passenger vehicles’ emissions in one year.

"Louisiana is undergoing tremendous growth, and we need to be ready to deliver low-cost, diverse energy sources to help sustain that growth," says Phillip May, president and CEO of Entergy Louisiana. "Our generating portfolio is among the cleanest in the nation, and this solar plant is one part of our ongoing commitment to offering our customers clean, reliable and economic energy."

The solar plant will generate about 350 jobs during construction and will bring about $6.4 million in tax revenue to the surrounding region over the next 30 years, according to DEPCOM Power.

DEPCOM Power will provide the engineering, construction and operations and maintenance services for the project. DEPCOM’s core values align with Entergy’s own sustainability goals, which include local workforce development and training and improving its communities. DEPCOM will seek to invest in the local community, working to hire local services and labor, with a special focus on hiring U.S. veterans, during the construction of the facility.

“DEPCOM is proud to help serve Entergy Louisiana’s clean energy program, designing and building an economical, efficient, high energy output utility solar facility. In honor of the project, DEPCOM’s philanthropy organization, DEPCOM G.I.V.E.S, will also seek to provide impactful donations to local charities supporting the impoverished, veterans, education and community solar outreach needs,” says Johnnie Taul, president for DEPCOM Power.

The power from the solar project will add to Entergy Louisiana’s approximately 190 MW of renewable resources, which includes run-of-river hydro, biomass and waste heat recovery. Entergy Louisiana’s portfolio also includes the state’s two largest sources of carbon-free energy – Waterford 3 and River Bend nuclear units. Together, the two units produce about 16% of the state’s energy and account for 92% of the state’s carbon-free energy.

Entergy Corporation recognizes that customers increasingly seek more control of their energy decisions and more renewable solutions. Working with regulators, Entergy is expanding and customizing our portfolio of energy solutions, while achieving our sustainability goals. The Capital Region Solar facility will provide a new, long-term, renewable source of energy for Entergy customers.